Hello from Penang

Well what can I say about our time in Penang. We have rather indulged ourselves and all I can do is blame Anji!!!.

The island of Penang’s history dates back to 1786 when it was seeded by the sultan to the British east India Company. Today it has around one million people , half of whom live in Georgetown the capital, and the state is one of 13 making up the federation of Malaysia. Having moved from our original hotel we have used this wonderful residence to the full. On our first day we walked for about 2 and half hours around Georgetown visiting the state museum which documented in drawings, old photographs and objects de art how the city and island developed and the immigration of a huge number of ethnic peoples. Then low and behold we found ourselves in little india and little china, two of the three main groups that live in the city and influence its food and culture. Again Britain has left a legacy here which can be seen in some of the colonial buildings , its rather sad that KFC is now housed in one magnificent mansion! .

Anji and I had a very interesting tour of one of Penang well known and loved mansions which was once the residence of one of the last wealthy Chinese mandarins who came here penniless and acquired a vast fortune . It is the most beautiful place . , a mixture of Chinese and art deco architecture. Today it is a boutique hotel with just 16 rooms , we tried to get in but it was fully booked so we just had to go some where equally delicious in a different way.The next day we hired a driver to take us around the northern part of the island on the coast road visiting temples , the spice garden and discovering secluded cove beaches. Penang has ba ratherb large and high hill - more of a mountain I would say at some 2000 metres!. The top is reached by funicular railway which i wanted to try. What I didn’t know was that it would take half an hour and the one coach would be jammed packed and mostly standing room only. I saw the coach and began to have doubts but was determined to try , we slowly ascended with my nose pushed close to numerous armpits which in the midday heat was not a good start. Well all i can say was I made it half way up where we had to change coaches and decided enough was enough , too many high places is not good for a girl with a delicate disposition , so down I came with eyes firmly shut and downcast , I just couldnt look !!!

Our guide told us he was escourting a small group on boxing day some few years ago when he saw a thin white line on the horizon, it seemed to be static and he didn’t know what it was. He carried on inland with his group and on the way back some two hours later the tsumami had hit the road and surrounding countryside and 80 people lost their lives. It made us think.

Today we flew to Sabbah to start our jungle trip we do hope the spiders , snakes and leeches have gone on holiday!! I cant believe we have landed in another paradise and so nit goes on!
Love
caro
xxxx

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